"Couple of months," he admitted. Brian opened his palm and rubbed his thumb over the creases. He sat in silence as a red light changed to green and street traffic surged through the intersection, kicking up a breeze that rumpled his hair.

Brian slung his arm over the back of the bench and raised his voice over a stereo. "So you're saying that, compared to a peer group I didn't even know existed... I suck."